


Shadows

by TheTyphonSerpent



Category: Dragon Age II
Genre: Fenders, Fluffy, M/M, Romance, mush
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-16
Updated: 2018-05-16
Packaged: 2019-05-07 18:14:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,346
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14676660
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheTyphonSerpent/pseuds/TheTyphonSerpent
Summary: When a pregnant cat moves into his mansion, Fenris is forced to endure daily visits from a certain doting mage. For Fenders Friday 2018





	Shadows

Spring brought noise. Birds chirping, bugs clacking their wings, cats yowling on the streets at night. There was a cacophony of sound every time anyone walked outside. Even in Kirkwall, crickets, cats, and birds were looking for a way to alleviate the pangs of heat.

Merril was the first to comment on the smell, when Hawke had dragged them off to round up some bandits that had been prowling high town. "Oh," She hummed while Garret fished through a dead bandit's pocket, "It smells like the halla in springtime."

"Cats." Fenris sighed.

Varric took a deep inhale through his nose, "You smell cats? I'm just getting blood. Maybe some booze from over at the Blooming Rose, but mostly blood."

"Pheromones." Fenris added.

"It gets all up in the air this time of year." Merril said, "Musky and just a bit ... tangy? Sour?"

"Tangy." Fenris said.

Garret stepped towards where they were standing, a small pile of coins in one hand. "Well, look at you two, bonding over elf stuff."

Fenris visibly tensed, back pressing against the wall he'd been leaning on. "Don't call it that."

"Which one?" Garret asked with a smirk, "Bonding or elf stuff?"

"Both!" Fenris said, only to tense when Merril weighed on.

"Oh, that does make sense, though, doesn't it?" Merril added, "The elf stuff I mean, not the bonding. Because I was telling Isabella about how you could smell the difference between a blue bird and a sparrow and she told me I was full of ... what was it?"

"Horse shit." Varric added, ever helpful.

Merril snapped her fingers, "That was it!"

Garret began separating the coins into neat little stacks in his palm, "Alright, well as much fun as it is to talk about horse shit and smelling things, I think we're done for the night."

He pressed each stack of coins into the party member's palms, pocketing one for himself. It didn't matter how much Fenris insisted he didn't need the coin, Hawke always insisted on paying them back for their favors.

Fenris returned to the abandoned mansion that night with silver jangling in his pocket. He had already eaten by the time Hawke called on him to help with the bandits, but battle tended to work up an appetite.

The kitchen was largely scattered with dust and dirty dishes, but he did use one shelf in the back of the pantry for a measly store of food. It usually smelled of stale bread and cobwebs ... right now it smelled like stale bread and pheromones.

He tried to ignore it, write it off as something that he'd tracked in from outside, until he reached for an apple on the shelf and realized with a deep inhale that the scent was strongest at the back of the pantry. There was a shift in the shadows below him, and kneeling to look under the bottom shelf revealed a tiny mouse who scurried off the second he laid eyes on it.

He watched the blur of gray make for the door, disappearing from whence Fenris had entered. It wasn't the first mouse he'd seen, and it certainly wouldn't be the last. He was raising the apple to his lips when he heard a CRASH from the kitchen.

The apple landed with a  _thud_ and rolled away as he withdrew his sword and charged into the kitchen. The lyrium markings were already illuminated, bathing the kitchen in blue light and revealing the mass of shattered plates that was on the floor. At the far end of the room, another shadow rose, turning to reveal a gray mouse clenched in its whiskered mouth.

Adrenaline had Fenris breathing heavily, and it took a deep sigh to calm down, sheathe the sword, and deactivate the markings. The cats yellow eyes stayed glued to him all the while.

Fenris cleared his throat, "Oh … I … apologize."

She was a mostly black queen with a white underbelly and white paws, and no sooner did Fenris speak than did she take that as permission to leave, carrying her kill with her.

Fenris retrieved his bruised apple from the floor and brushed off the dust. If it kept the vermin away, he decided he wasn't going to object.

x - X - x

Fenris had a sheet of paper on his lap and a book on his chest. The room was lit by the flickering fireplace and a few candles on the side table behind him. He leaned against the arm of the couch, occasionally tearing off a strip of paper and marking a word he couldn't sound out. When Garret returned in the morning, he'd go over the larger words with him.

One of the shadows that was being cast by the candles broke away and slithered over the back of the couch, comfortably situating itself between his face and the book. The fur tickled his nose.

"Can I help you?"

The cat started to purr.

Lifting the book, Fenris shoved it between the cat and his nose, then pushed the cat back with the book's spine. Once it was back in position, he started to read again.

The cat stood and brushed its face against the book's cover as it passed and again, laid on his chest between his arms. Sighing and holding his place with his thumb, Fenris set the book closed on his lap and started to stroke her side. His fingers brushed a little bump on her belly.

"Oh," He hummed, "I see the spring brought you a suitor. Will he also be interrupting my reading?"

She stretched until the tips of her paws touched Fenris' cheek.

With a bit of wiggling, he was able to adjust himself so he could hold the book up above the cat, and let her sleep while he read.

x - X - x

Garret had a unique way of announcing himself.

Fenris was lounging on a broken bed in one of the second floor bedrooms when he heard the door slam and a deep, bellowing voice shout, "HEY, FENRIS! IT'S YOUR BEST FRIEND!"

Fenris made his voice equally loud, "YOU ARE NOT MY BEST FRIEND!"

From the same direction, he recognized the shrill, whiny voice that had come to haunt him on so many of Garret's missions. "YOU HAVE A CAT?" Anders squealed.

"Best friends don't bring abominations over unannounced." Fenris muttered under his breath. Fenris followed the banister down the stairs, where Hawke and Isabella were watching Anders make a fool of himself. The mage was on all fours, rump in the air as he leaned under a cracked desk, all the while making kissy noises and clicking his tongue.

The second Fenris stepped off the stairs, the cat slithered out of the gap between the desk and wall and scurried to Fenris, her belly low to the ground. He watched as she circled around and hid at his feet.

"What's wrong with you?" He asked, before noting the wet, milky patch of fur under her tail. It seemed Anders noticed it too, as his eyes widened when he followed Fenris' line of sight.

"Maker's breath, is she in labor?" He asked, still on his knees.

"Evidently." Fenris shrugged.

"And I'm willing to bet you haven't even set up a nesting box for her, have you? Where is she going to give birth?"

"She comes and goes as she pleases-" Fenris began to argue, but shook his head, trying to jostle his brain back on track. Turning to Garret, he asked, "Did you want something?"

Hand on one hip and other hand over his heart, Garret bowed his head, "Oh, far be it from me to interfere with family affairs. Whatever's going on in the Bone Pit can wait until after Anders resolves this dire emergency."

Isabella clutched her stomach and immediately doubled over laughing while Fenris clenched his fist. He'd made a mental note to threaten to kill them later.

Anders was already crawling closer, eyes focused on the cat. He was closer than he'd ever been to Fenris' legs He held out his hand and clicked his tongue, "Easy there. Nobody will hurt you."

One delicate white paw stepped out from behind Fenris, letting her lean just close enough to sniff his fingertips. Anders smiled, then glanced up at Fenris. "Do you have a spare blanket and a crate?"

Without a word, Fenris motioned for Anders to follow and ascended the stairs.

There were plenty of spare blankets scattered throughout the mansion, though it took a little bit of finding to find one that wasn't covered in mildew or eaten by bugs. Fenris elected to remove one of the dresser drawers and dump its contents on the bedroom floor to make a box for the cat to lay in.

Anders set the box next to her and allowed her to crawl inside before lifting the whole drawer and carrying it to the rug by the fireplace.

Five kittens were suckling on the queen's belly by evening.

The pair left the cat to do the work, though Anders stayed sitting by the box and keeping an eye on the birth. Before long, Fenris had picked up a book and a sheet of paper, situating himself on the couch and doing his best to ignore the mage, the mewling, and the loud purrs of the proud mother.

"There's a good girl. It's a very beautiful litter." Anders cooed, stroking the top of the queen's head.

Fenris had one arm lazily draped over the back of the couch. He looked up as Anders rose.

"You'll want to keep her food and water next to her so she doesn't have to wander far from the kittens."

Fenris cocked an eyebrow, "She has a habit of feeding herself."

Anders set his hands on his hips, a sour look forming on his face, "Are you telling me you let her live off of whatever vermin happen to wander in here? What kind of pet owner are you?"

"I am not a 'pet owner'." Fenris curled his lips as he spoke. The implication of owning a living being was a little sour on his tongue, "She simply lives here with me."

Anders rolled his eyes and threw up his hands, "Alright, since you clearly don't know the first thing about pet ownership, I'll take care of her."

He went to pick up the box, lifting it no more than a finger's width off the ground before the cat bent back her ears and hissed, swiping a set of claws at him. Without looking up from his book, Fenris gave a low chuckle.

"Alright then." Anders sighed, "I'll be back later."

Without another word, the mage retrieved his staff from where it had been leaning against he wall, and left.

Fenris read until the windows began to turn dark, then retreated to his tiny store of food in the kitchen. He was chewing on a hunk of stale bread when he returned to find Anders kneeling by the box, setting down a wood bowl with a pungent scent inside. He set down a second bowl and filled it from his water skin.

Fenris leaned over his shoulder, spying a fish head set in the bowl.

"You'll want to toss that in the morning. Don't worry, she'll eat most of it by then." The mage said.

"And will you bring her another then?"

"Yes actually." Anders stood, brushing the dust from his knees as he did so, "If you'll have me, that is. After all,  _someone_ has to take care of this animal."

"She seemed to be surviving just fine before you came along," Fenris shrugged, "But if you insist upon caring for her then I have no intention of stopping you."

"Oh, good, I'm glad I have your  _permission_ to take care of your cat."

"Stop calling her that."

x - X - x

Fenris would be lying if he said he didn't enjoy the sight of Anders bent over the box of kittens. It made for something decent to stare at when reading made his eyes sore. It was one such occasion when he was waiting for his eyes to refocus when Anders turned, and Fenris' eyes lazily moved to meet his.

"Hey, come look, their eyes are opening." Anders said.

Setting down the book, Fenris knelt next to Anders, leaning over the box. Five little bean-shaped balls of fuzz, their ears still droopy. The gray tabby rose its head and opened one eye, the other only opening at the corner. It mewed at Fenris.

Fenris stroked the kittens head with his knuckle.

"Andraste's knickers, are you smiling?" Anders asked.

Without breaking the little curl of a smile, Fenris rose his head and met Anders' eyes, "And you thought I was always serious."

Anders' cheeks turned rose pink, and Fenris' head was already turned away and giving more attention to the tabby that had mewed at him. The mother cat stepped out of the shadows behind Anders, brushing up against him as she passed.

x - X - x

Fenris tended to sleep on a hair trigger, in his armor, blanket only loosely draped over him so he could easily throw it off at a moment's notice.

Tonight, his armor felt like a sweat lodge, and it was only years of deep-seeded paranoia that kept him from shedding it entirely. The blanket had already been tossed on the floor, his arms wrapped around himself. It hurt when he swallowed.

He shot to a sitting position when he felt something land on the mattress beside him.

The mother cat blinked a huge pair of yellow eyes, swooshing tail barely visible in the darkness of the room.

Heart pounding, hands shaking, he wiped the sweat from his forehead and took a few long, deep breaths. The cat hopped back off the bed and padded off. He was just beginning to curl back up into a ball when he felt the drop of weight next to him again. Cracking his eyes open, he spied the cat with one of the tabby kittens clenched in her mouth. She set it down beside him, and left again.

One by one, all five kittens were transferred into Fenris' bed with him. When she was done, the mother cat brushed her side against his face, leaving behind a few strands of black fur to tickle his nose. She curled up beside him, and he found himself far too tired to object.

x - X - x

Anders found them in the morning the same way they'd fallen asleep, although the mother cat had nudged most of her kittens to her side to nurse.

"Andraste's tit, Fenris, I know you're craving a bedfellow, but you didn't have to kidnap the kittens for it.  _I_ would have kept you company."

Fenris opened his eyes into narrow slits and spoke through a stuffy nose, "You wish, mage."

"Are you sick?" He stepped up to the side of the bed. Fenris flinched as cold, bony fingers brushed his forehead.

"You're burning up." Anders sighed, straightening up. He patted his pockets.

"Knickerweasels. I used up my potions on the breakout last night. You caught that flu that swept through dark down, didn't you?"

Fenris grumbled incoherently.

"Alright, out of the armor."

That made Fenris stir, at least enough to push himself onto his back and glare at Anders. "I will do no such thing." He huffed.

"Come on, if you don't take it off, I'm going to take it off for you, and you won't be able to struggle because you might hurt the kittens.

Fenris forced his crusty eyes open a little bit further so he could see the unmistakably triumphant smirk Anders had plastered on his face. Exhaustion combined with pure  _spite_ at the sight of that stupid face made him decide Anders was going to have to work for this.

"You don't even know how to work the clasps." He said with a dismissive wave.

And just like that, Anders' hands were on him, unbuckling the gauntlets and setting them on one of the dressers. Then the breastplate came off, exposing sweat-soaked leathers to a burst of cool air.

"Do you have any pajamas?" Anders asked.

"No."

He mumbled, "Of course not, what did I expect?"

Fenris let his eyes drift shut again. After a few seconds and the sound of fabric shuffling, a soft, heavy piece of fabric was tossed onto his chest. It smelled like mint and elfroot.

"Change out of that disgusting under armor. I'll be back in a minute."

Fenris listened to the floorboards creak as Anders left. He opened his eyes to see a brown tunic in front of him. Sighing, he forced himself into a sitting position despite aching joints and a pounding headache. When Anders returned, he was in his boxers, curled up on the bed with one of the kittens (the gray one with the white belly) pawing at a loose thread on the tunic. In one smooth motion Anders plucked the kitten up, set her aside, and took her place next to Fenris.

"Drink this, you must be thirsty." He said.

Fenris forced his eyes open to see a shirtless Anders draped over the bed, holding out a glass of water. He ran his tongue along the inside of his mouth. It was reminiscent of sand.

Sitting up and leaning against the head board, he accepted the water and drained the glass within seconds. Anders stood and lifted something heavy, carrying it to the opposite side of the bed. When he knelt, Fenris, glanced down to see a bucket of water there. Anders dunked a cloth into it, wrung it out, and pressed the cool water against Fenris' forehead.

"Have you eaten?"

"No." Fenris rasped.

He expected Anders to roll his eyes, but instead the mage turned away and retrieved his coat from the floor. "I'll be a little while. Will you be alright on your own?" He asked as he took the glass away and set it on the night stand.

"I was managing fine without you, mage." Fenris let his head sink back onto the pillow amd draped his arm over his eyes.

Anders laughed, and if Fenris' brain weren't swimming in his own mucus, he might have had the strength to stop the little flutter in his chest when he heard Anders laughing. "Sure you are." The mage giggled just before Fenris heard the door creak and click shut.

x - X - x

He awoke with two kittens on his chest.

He turned his head to see a little red bottle on the night stand, next to a newly filled glass of water.

Then his eyes moved back to the sleeping kittens, and he decided not to move.

Anders entered, once again topless, with a tray in his hands. He chuckled at the sight before him. "You know you're bigger than they are, right? You can move them."

"I am aware."

Anders moved to the opposite side of the bed and set the tray down on Fenris' lap. He plucked each individual kitten off of his chest, holding onto the gray and white one in his lap.

"Their ears have perked up. They must be getting the urge to explore. Did they come up here on their own?"

Fenris brought himself up to a sitting position with a groan, "The mother brought them."

"Aw, how sweet, she wanted to take care of her big, sick kitten." Anders ran a finger along the edge of Fenris' pointed ear, and the elf waved his hand away.

"Quit it." Fenris grumbled as he uncorked the healing potion.

The mother cat slid out from the shadows under the bed and hopped up to where the rest of them were sitting. "You never did tell me her name."

Fenris winced as he swallowed the potion, sharp, bitter, and coating his tongue, "Is 'Cat' not sufficient?"

"Knickerweasels, no! You can't keep a pet and not give it a name!"

"She is not my pet. Besides, all the names I know are Tevinter." He chugged the glass of water to wash out the taste of elfroot.

"It doesn't have to be a _person's_ name. Look, it's easy," He picked up the kitten he'd been petting and turned her over, examining the area under her tail, then turned her over again and held her up to examine her face. Fenris started with the meal in front of him: a hunk of bread that he recognized from his food store in the kitchen, and some sort of broth with green onions and chunks of meat floating in it. He brought the spoon to his nose and sniffed. It was chicken.

"You can be Lady Whiskers." Anders declared after a moment.

Fenris already had the spoon in his mouth when he slowly turned and gave Anders an incredulous look. "Only you would come up with a name like that."

"Well then," Anders huffed, "Let's see you do better."

He pointed a spoon at the orange tabby that was napping by his leg, "That's the one who cried because he got lost under the blanket. He can be Anders."

"Tabbies are widely considered to be very handsome cats. I accept your compliment."

Fenris lifted the tray with one arm, nudged the kitten off of Anders' lap, and then shoved him off the bed.

The mage tumbled onto the floor with a yelp, and Lady Whiskers poked her head over the edge of the bed and mewed.

Fenris was all but inhaling the soup when Anders pulled himself up to his knees, chest on the mattress. The mother cat brushed her side against him as she walked past and hopped off the bed. "This is the thanks I get for cooking you dinner and bringing you potions? I wonder how you treat your friends."

"You-" Fenris stopped himself before he could finish the sentence. The words, 'you  _are_ my friend' caught in his throat. 

Anders cocked an eyebrow, made a gesture for Fenris to continue. When no words came, he stood and made his way to the other side of the bed.

He pressed the back of his hand against Fenris' forehead. "Your fever's broken. How does your throat feel?"

"Fine."

"How's the mucus? Do you mind if I check your lungs?"

Anders set the tray aside. Without warning, he leaned in and pressed his ear to Fenris' chest.

The elf's cheeks darkened. Ander's bare skin against his chest. He could feel the breath from the mage's nose. He tried to breathe normally.

"They sound clear, but your heart rate is unusually fast." As soon as the words left Anders' mouth he smirked.

He knew.

Anders held himself up with his hands on either side of Fenris' hips. He rose, opened his mouth to say something, and suddenly felt a weight on his back as the mother cat leaped from the floor onto him. As she spring-boarded herself onto the bed, he lost his balance, his lips mashing together with Fenris'.

Anders wanted to stay there, until he realized he tasted copper where their teeth had collided.

He pulled back, knees on the mattress, touching the tender spot on his lips, where red had begun to run down his two front teeth. Fenris grabbed his arms and pulled him closer, leaning up to lick the trail of blood from Anders' lips.

"Gross." Anders said with a smirk.

"I dare you to stop me."

x - X - x

Garret was kneeling by his mabari, a hand on the dog's chest. "Relax, he's very gentle!" Garret said while the massive, muscular canine pawed nails at the floor and sniffed at a kitten that was already puffing itself out to twice it's size. The gray tabby scrambled backwards, hissing.

On the other side of the room, Merril was kneeling and dangling a shoelace in front of a black kitten with a white spot on its chest. Garret released the dog, who proceeded to scramble on the wood floor to chase the kitten underneath one of the broken tables. Merril stood, picking her kitten up off the ground.

"I'll take this one. Does he have a name?"

Anders was standing by Fenris, leaning on the banister. "We've been calling him Mr. Tuft, but if you're taking him, you can name him whatever you like."

She cradled him in one arm and gave his chin a scratch, "I think Falon is a good name for you, isn't it?"

The mabari gave a hearty bark, and then a whine, and then pawed at the base of the table as though he intended to dig the kitten out.

"Alright, old boy, that one isn't going to take to you. Let's look for another." Garret said as he wrapped burly arms around the dogs middle and hoisted him away. Four big paws attached to muscly legs flailed awkwardly as Garret turned around and addressed Fenris and Anders.

"Where are the other kittens?" He asked.

"They go where they please. You'll have to look for them." Fenris replied.

"We can do that. Come old boy, let's look for some kittens!" And as soon as Garret set down the dog, the pair bounded off and up the stairs.

Merril was already headed for the door, kitten in hand, "I'll see you two at the Hanged Man tonight then?"

"We'll be there." Anders replied, returning her wave.

Once she was gone, his eyes were on Fenris.

"Did you mention to Garret that they're all on the first floor?"

Fenris shook his head, and Anders smirked.

Fenris stepped towards him, edging up onto his toes for a kiss. Anders lowered his eyelids and grabbed Fenris' hips, pulling him closer. They started to deepen the kiss just as Fenris felt a mass of fur tickling his feet. He stumbled, forcing Anders to catch him against his chest just before he fell. Fenris looked down to spy a familiar mother cat rubbing against their legs.

"Yes, Shadow?" Fenris asked.

She meowed.

Anders pulled him up, hands back the elf's hips, and stole another kiss.

"Come on," He said, "We only have so long before Garret comes back downstairs."

 


End file.
